Formerly, "Just Thinking", this blog presents the thoughts and experiences of a family historian trying to demystify the past and uncover the stories of an elusive ancestry. Surnames in Franklin County, NC are YARBOROUGH, GREEN, HAWKINS, and DUNSTON. In Halifax and Warren Counties, surnames are DAVIS, BROWN, and ROSS. With so much of my family's history shrouded in darkness, is my personal mission to uncover the hidden details of my ancestry and bring them INTO THE LIGHT.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Mysterious Monday - A Very Odd Photo

Today, I've decided to share one of the many photos I have in my possession of unknown (family?) folks. I can remember seeing this one when I was younger, perhaps a teenager, in our garage where a couple of old photo albums were kept. I have no idea who the people are in this picture, but it has always intrigued me, on a number of different levels.

I've theorized a few different interpretations of this photo, but none with any level of certainty. No one in my family seems to know anything about its orgins, but I'm assuming by the "x" mark over the head of the guy in uniform, that he must be the subject with whom we have a connection. I am so baffled by the other character, the pose, and the ---- well, the EVERYTHING about this picture!

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I don't want to give away any of my ideas, so as not to influence yours. Please, dear readers, leave me comments on your interpretations of this photo, or if you have actual knowledge (like, perhaps, what kind of uniform the man on the right is wearing), please share it with me.

The photo is on a 3 & 1/4 x 5 & 1/4 postcard, and I did a bit of research to attempt to get a date range for it. According to the information I found on the site Photos Made Perfect, this postcard was produced by Kodak between 1918-1930. I was able to determine this by the AZO stamp box, which has two triangles pointing up, and two pointing down. Also, it's obvious that picture is posed in front of a backdrop showing the US Capital building. I'm not sure if that means it was taken in Washington, DC or not, but I guess it's something to consider.